Apparatus for deterring animals from avian enclosures

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for deterring certain kinds of animals from birdfeeders and birdhouses consists of rotating such avian enclosures at a sufficient speed to deter the undesirable animal. An electronic baffle rotates the avian enclosures at variable speeds for which fast speeds are used to deter animals and slow speeds are used for better viewing of birds. A support suspends the baffle from a tree or mounts the baffle to a pole in the ground. An electronic circuit contained within the baffle senses the animal&#39;s presence and controls the speed of a motor that rotates the avian enclosures for a predetermined period of time. Optionally, remote control circuitry may be used in manually deterring animals from the avian enclosures and for better viewing of birds.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of, and is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/480,936 filed Jan. 11, 2000 now U.S. Pat.No. 6,363,891 entitled METHOD FOR DETERRING ANIMALS FROM AVIANENCLOSURES, and further claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/164,451, Filed Nov. 10, 1999, both of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to avian enclosures andaccessories to avian enclosures. More specifically, the invention isdirected at an externally separate device that rotates avian enclosuresor a device that is part of the whole rotating avian enclosure.

2. Description of Prior Art

One of main purposes of avian enclosures for their owners is theenjoyment of watching birds. Unfortunately, rodents consume largequantities of birdseed and/or, worst yet, destroy birdfeeders andbirdhouses due to their aggressive nature. The most vulnerable feedersare the ones made out of plastic or wooden parts of which squirrels willeventually chew on and destroy. As a result, people cannot enjoywatching birds at the same time while worrying about squirrels, or otherrodents, damaging and/or scaring away birds from their feeders orhouses.

Many attempts have been made in the prior art to develop, eitherinternal or external to the birdfeeder, mechanisms that try to activelyprotect feeders by repelling rodents. Most of these use a cruel andinhumane electrical shock on the squirrels. For example, the Boaz U.S.Pat. No. 5,191,857 patent uses a large umbrella-shaped electricalshocking squirrel guard above the feeder. However, squirrels can getaround this device simply by leaping onto the feeder from a nearby treeor from the ground. Other attempts shown by the patents to Doubleday etal. U.S. Pat. No. 2,856,898, Boyd U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,788, and CollinsU.S. Pat. No. 5,471,951 all incorporate the electrical-shocking devicewithin the feeder itself. However, defense mechanisms of these types areall eventually figured-out by the squirrels who are both cunning andvery determined. Over time, the squirrels train themselves where to stepand where not to step in order to avoid getting shocked.

Other attempts in the prior art have tried more passive devices such asplastic baffles for deterring squirrels that are inherently designed tobe very large and bulky devices. For example, patents issued to BlasbalgU.S. Pat. No. 4,327,669, Nylen U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,687, and Chester U.S.Pat. No. 4,031,856 all use some sort of large umbrella-shaped squirrelguard located either above and/or below the feeder. However, theeffectiveness of these passive devices is even worse than the previouslymentioned active devices since the squirrel will not only defeat thedevice, they will also destroy the device in the process by chewing onit repeatedly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a new apparatus and method directed atdeterring certain kinds of animals from avian enclosures by rotating theenclosures at sufficient speeds. As used herein, avian enclosure isintended to mean birdhouses, birdfeeders, and like structures intendedfor use by birds. An electronic baffle is described that safely detersunwanted animals such as rodents from the enclosures which includes asupport for suspending the baffle, at least one animal sensing mechanismsuch as an electronic circuit that detects the presence of animals, anda motor/gearbox whose shaft is a hook that suspends the avianenclosures. The electronic baffle is also capable of rotating thesuspended enclosures at a very slow speed. For example, this mode ofoperation is used for the purpose of eliminating blind spots from abirdwatcher's viewing area of the birds eating from the feeders.

It is another object of the present invention to provide anelectro-mechanical rotating system which can be incorporated intovarious parts of avian enclosures in order to deter rodents, or otheranimals, from the enclosures by rotating the enclosures at asufficiently fast speed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide anelectro-mechanical rotating system that can be incorporated into variousparts of avian enclosures in order to not scare birds from theenclosures by rotating the enclosures at a sufficiently slow speed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide anelectro-mechanical rotating system that can be mounted into the groundusing a pole from which the enclosures are attached.

It is another object of the present invention to provide anelectro-mechanical rotating system that can be remotely-controlled usingstandard, off-the-shelve remote control technology incorporated intovarious parts of the invention.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description when viewed inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain, butnot all-encompassing, embodiments of the invention.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the present invention as hungfrom a tree.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway cross-sectional side view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic electronic diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an alternate schematic electronic diagram of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a simplified algorithmic block diagram of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative version of thepresent invention shown mounted onto a pole.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a remote-control version of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a simplified hardware block diagram of an alternative versionof the present invention being remotely controlled.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS FOR DRAWING FIGURES 1 hanging pest deterrentapparatus 2 post-mounted pest deterrent apparatus 3 mounting hook 4 tophook 5 housing 6 electrical wires 7 printed circuit board mountingscrews 8 printed circuit board 9 grommet 10 printed circuitboard-to-hook small mounting screw 11 motor/gearbox 12 battery holders13 base plate mounting screws 14 base plate 15 battery cover screws 16on/off electrical switch 17 bottom hook 18 battery access doors 19extended overhang 20 electronic switch mounting screws 21 motor/gearboxhousing mounting screws 26 positive circuit terminals 27 chemicalbatteries 28 signal ground potential 29 load cell 30 positive inputresistor 31 op-amp feedback resistor 32 power level sense capacitor 33power level sense resistor 34 piezoelectric buzzer 35 transistorcollector resistor 37 back-emf protection diode 38 N-channel Mosfet 39vibration sensor NPN transistor 40 transistor biasing resistor 41stabilization resistor 42 op-amp feedback capacitor 43 current limitingresistor 44 operational amplifier 45 stabilizing capacitor 46 negativeinput resistor 47 precision metal-film resistors 48 power switching NPNtransistor 49 capacitor filter 50 reverse-battery protection diode 51microcontroller 52 analog bridge circuit 55 starting step 56 power onstep 57 power on status check 58 feeder off status check 59 greater thanminimum threshold comparison step 60 short beep step 61 initializationstep 62 measurement step 63 maximum threshold comparison step 65 betweenthresholds comparison step 67 less than minimum threshold comparisonstep 68 set feeder-off flag step 69 watch-dog-timer greater than Ncomparison step 70 calibrate all thresholds step 71 incrementwatch-dog-timer step 72 reset watch-dog-timer step 73 go to sleep step74 watch-dog-timer or interrupt-went-off detection step 75 blockingcapacitor 78 pole 79 earth 81 tree limb 83 top squirrel 85 tree 87bottom squirrel 89 typical birdfeeder 91 birds 100 beeps 102 birdwatcher103 radio frequency signals 104 infrared signals 110 input/output pin0111 input/output pin1 112 input/output pin2 113 input/output pin3 114input/output pin4 115 input/output pin5 120 force-sensitive resistor 122integrating capacitor 150 transmitter/receiver unit 152 load cellcircuit 154 buzzer circuit 158 DIP switch 159 receiver/transmittermicrocontroller 160 transmitter/receiver circuit 162 bi-directionaltransmission link 164 remote 166 remote buzzer 168 light emitting diodes170 liquid crystal display circuit 172 keypad 174 serial port circuit174 180 remote DIP switch 182 remote microcontroller chip 182 184 remotereceiver/transmitter circuit R1 fast revolutions-per-minute speed R2slow revolutions-per-minute speed R variable revolutions-per-minutespeed

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein,however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms of which some are detailed at close of this section. Therefore,the details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limited, butmerely as the basis for the claims and as a basis for teaching oneskilled in the art how to make and/or use the invention.

A method of deterring rodents, such as squirrels, from avian enclosureswhich consists of spinning the enclosures about their vertical axis willnow be described. To accomplish this task, the rotating device must spinthe feeder at a high enough revolutions-per-minute suitable to make thesquirrel dizzy and/or nauseated. Through experimentation, arevolutions-per-minute of between 70 and 100 was found to make thosesquirrels that jump onto a feeder want to jump back off. Results so farhave shown that, at these speeds, the squirrel becomes light-headedand/or agitated due to the sufficient centrifugal force generated fromthe rotating avian enclosure. Consequently, the squirrels always jumpoff after a brief period of time of usually less than 15 seconds.However, to be safe, the enclosure should be allowed to run at least oneminute especially for battery-operated devices which may start to slowdown after the batteries start to drain. In addition, it was found thatsquirrels will not try to board an already rotating feeder. So, as aresult, an optimum system is one that senses the rodents prior to themjumping onto the feeder. The feeders can then be activated before therodent even has a chance to eat any food.

The devices chosen to accomplish this method should also be flexibleenough to rotate the enclosures at very slow speeds. This is necessaryfor when birds land to allow the birdwatcher to see all sides of theirenclosure. The rotational speed has to be slow enough to not scare awaythe birds. Through experimentation, it was found that a rotational speedof less than about six revolutions-per-minute will usually suffice innot scaring off any birds perched on the rotating feeder. However therevolutions-per-minute speed should not be too low as to become almostboring to watch. As a result, it was determined that about a threerevolutions-per-minute is a safe and yet interesting rotational speed.

The electrical and/or mechanical rotating device ultimately chosen forthis invention should take some or all of the above specifications intoaccount. Also for the convenience of the user, the device should be madeas automated as possible. For example, the device should have thecapability to sense when the rodents or birds are on the feeder anddiscriminate between the two in order to decide whether to rotate thefeeder fast or slow. Also for the convenience of the user, the devicecan have a remote-control capability that notifies the birdwatcher whensomething is in their feeder. The birdwatcher should then have theflexibility to decide what to do next to, for example, rotate the feederto a variably fast speed or activate a very loud buzzer. Lastly, sincesome rodents are very smart, the device, if it is hanging from a tree,should also have the capability to sense when a rodent is trying toclimb down from above. Some possible electrical/mechanical apparatusesthat meet the above specifications of the invention will now bedescribed in detail.

Referring to FIG. 1 where a preferred embodiment of the invention, ahanging pest deterrent apparatus 1, is shown having a top hook 4 beingsuspended by a mounting hook 3 which is attached to suitable supportsuch as a tree limb 81 which is part of a larger tree 85. A typicalbirdfeeder 89 is then hung from a bottom hook 17 attached to the hangingapparatus 1. Alternately the feeder 89 could have been replaced by abirdhouse (not shown). When a single or plurality of birds 91 lands onthe feeder 89, the mechanical vibrations and changes in weight of thefeeder 89 will be sensed by electronics contained within the hangingapparatus 1. The electronics will then activate a motor/gearbox (notshown) whose shaft is attached to the bottom hook 17 which will then, inturn, rotate the feeder 89 at a sufficiently slow revolutions-per-minutespeed R2 as to not startle the birds 91. The electronics containedwithin the hanging apparatus 1 can also detect when a larger animal,such as a bottom squirrel 87, jumps onto the feeder 89. The hangingapparatus 1 will then rotate the feeder around in a circular fashion ata fast revolutions-per-minute speed R1 sufficient to make the bottomsquirrel uncomfortable and jump back off the feeder 89. In anotherattempt, a top squirrel 83 climbs down onto the feeder 89 from above.However, he has to first apply his own body weight to the hangingapparatus 1. Electronics contained within the hanging apparatus 1 willagain detect the force being applied to hanging apparatus's 1 outershell and start to turn the feeder 89 at the fast speed R1. The topsquirrel 83 will then be startled and not want to jump onto a rotatingfeeder 89 and simply leave in frustration.

Refer now to FIG. 2 which illustrates is a cutaway cross-sectional sideview of the hanging apparatus 1. The top hook 4 is shown attached to aprinted circuit board 8 that is populated with the electronics (notshown). The top hook 4 must be made of a suitably strong metal to beable to support not only the hanging apparatus's 1 own weight, but alsothe weight of a large feeder completely filled with birdseed (notshown). The top hook 4 must also be strong enough to sustain the weightof the largest rodents (not shown) found here in the United States andabroad. Further, since the hanging apparatus 1 is to be used outdoors,the top hook 4 must never be allowed to rust. Accordingly, a metal likestainless steel may be a suitable choice to use for the top hook 4. Thetop hook is connected to the printed circuit board 8 by using a printedcircuit board-to-hook small mounting screw 10. This small screw 10 canbe a machine screw made of suitably strong metal to again support a widerange of loads. The small screw 10 must also be large enough to supporta wide range of loads and yet small enough to allow the printed circuitboard 8 to flex along its vertical axis due to varying loads. Likewise,the printed circuit board 8 must be made of suitably strong materialsuch as fiberglass. The printed circuit board 8 must also be thickenough to again support a wide range of loads and yet be thin enough toallow flexation along its vertical axis due to varying loads.

The printed circuit board 8 is also shown in FIG. 2 attached to ahousing 5 through the use of a couple of printed circuit board mountingscrews 7. The diameter of the housing 5 must be made sufficiently largeto force top squirrels 83, shown in FIG. 1, to apply their own bodyweight to the housing 5 when stretching around the outside of thehousing 5. The housing 5 can be injection molded using a plasticmaterial such as a black acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene or equivalentthat is very durable outdoors and whose color will not fade over time.Furthermore, to prevent hardening and cracking over time, an ultravioletstabilized curing agent should also be used in the manufacturing processof the housing 5. The printed circuit board mounting screws 7 must bemade of suitable metal to support a wide range of loads. Also, theirlocation must be set far enough away from the small screw 10 to allowthe printed circuit board 8 to flex along its vertical axis due tovarying loads. However, the vertical flexation of the printed circuitboard 8 must never be allowed to exceed beyond its mechanical limits.For safety reasons, mechanical stops (not shown) may have to be employedto prevent the printed circuit board 8 from flexing beyond its maximumlimits.

Shown also in FIG. 2 is a grommet 9 that is press-fitted into a hole atthe top center of the housing 5 making a tight seal against the housing5 and top hook 4 for preventing moisture from seeping into the hangingapparatus 1. This grommet 9 must be made of a elastic rubber or plasticor silicon rubber which will allow the surrounding housing 5 to flexwith varying loads. Furthermore, the grommet must also be durable enoughto never degrade or harden over time from extreme outdoor environments.Consequently an ultraviolet stabilized curing agent should be used inthe manufacturing process of the grommet 9. In addition, the housing 5is also shown having an extended overhang 19 to help protect allcomponents, connected to a base plate 14, from rain, dust, sand, andsnow. The base plate 14 is connected to the housing 5 using a multitudeof base plate mounting screws 13. The overhang 19, which is part of thehousing 5, should extend beyond the most protruding part not includingthe bottom hook 17 which is connected a motor/gearbox's 11 shaft. Forsafety reasons, the bottom hook 17 must be securely attached to themotor/gearbox 11 for handling the largest of anticipated loads.Furthermore, the bottom hook 17 must be made of a suitably strong metalto be able to support a large feeder completely filled with birdseed(not shown). The bottom hook 17 must also be strong enough to sustainthe weight of the largest rodents (not shown) found here in the UnitedStates and abroad. Further, since the hanging apparatus 1 is to be usedoutdoors, the bottom hook 17 must never be allowed to rust. Accordingly,a metal such as stainless steel may be a suitable choice to use for thebottom hook 17. Also shown in FIG. 2 are a plurality of electrical wires6 which are electrically connected from the printed circuit board 8 tothe motor/gearbox's 11 housing. The wires 6 are also connected to aplurality of battery holders 12 and an on/off electrical switch 16. Thewires 6 must be made of a suitable gauge wire to allow sufficientcurrent to flow between the printed circuit board 8 and theaforementioned electrically connected components. Preferably, thebattery holders 12 should be plastic-injection molded as part of eitherthe housing 5 or the base plate 14. In addition, the weight distributionof the batteries (not shown) is such that the center of gravity must bemaintained along the vertical axis of the device. As a result, thebattery holders 12 must be place at equal-distances for each other andfrom the vertical axis through the center of the device. A plurality ofbattery access doors 18 are attached to the battery holders 12. Hinges(not shown) are used connect the doors 18 to the base plate 14. Whenclosed, the doors 18 are secured to the base plate 14 using a pluralityof battery cover screws 15.

FIG 3 illustrates a bottom view of the hanging apparatus 1. As can beseen, a pair of electronic switch mounting screws 20 are used to securethe switch 16 to the base plate 14. The switch 16 is mounted towards theoutside edges of the base plate 14 allowing easy access to turning thehanging apparatus either on or off. Also shown in the figure are a pairof motor/gearbox housing mounting screws 21 which are used to secure themotor/gearbox's 11 housing to the base plate 14. All cracks in the baseplate 14 must be properly sealed with, for example, silicon rubber toprevent moisture from seeping into the hanging apparatus 1. Lastly, allaforementioned screws in both FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 must be made of asufficiently strong metal such as stainless steel that also does notrust.

Refer now to FIG. 4, which illustrates is a schematic electronic diagramof the electronics used in the present invention. A plurality ofchemical batteries 27 are connected in series to boost the voltagepotential. As shown, the voltage potential is boosted three fold. Poweris applied to the circuit from the batteries 27 whenever the switch 16is in the closed position. This action will complete the circuit fromthe positive terminal of the last battery 27 to a plurality of positivecircuit terminals 26. Current can then flow from the positive circuitterminals 26 to the rest of the circuit, which is then returned to asignal ground potential 28. The force-to-electrical transducer circuit,which is comprised of an analog bridge circuit 52, is now ready to takeweight measurements. To activate the bridge circuit 52, the base of apower switching NPN transistor 48 is pulled towards the positive circuitvoltage potential 26. This action is controlled by an input/output pin5115 of a microcontroller 51 through a current limiting resistor 43. Theground potential 28 is now applied to the bridge circuit 52 through thetransistor 48 which must be capable of handling the current load. One ofthe first places that receives the newly activated current is thestandard wheatstone passive bridge circuit which is comprised of a loadcell 29 and a plurality of precision metal-film resistors 47. Thelocation of the load cell 29 is crucial since it must be located asclose as possible to the maximum flexation point of the printed circuitboard 8 in FIG 2. This point is located on the bottom side of theprinted circuit board 8 close to the small screw 10 in FIG 2 at whichthe load cell 29 is bonded using a suitable cement such as Duco, Eastman910, or EPY-150. The load cell 29 is oriented with its active lengthaligned with the sensing axis. It is important to obtain load cells 29that have a temperature coefficient close to the metal, which is copperin this case, that the load cell 29 is bonded to. To conserve battery 27power, it is also important that the load cell 29 and precisionresistors 47 all have reasonably high resistance values. Alternately, aquad-load cell (not shown) could have been used that would replace thepresent load cell 29 and the precision metal-film resistors 47. Ideallythe quad-load cell could be manufactured right on the printed circuitboard 8 in FIG 2 using standard laser-trimming techniques.

A positive input resistor 30 and a negative input resistor 46 connectthe differential bridge circuit to the input terminals of an operationalamplifier 44. The amplifier 44 is configured as a differential circuitthat subtracts the voltage differences between its positive and negativeterminals. Furthermore, the amplifier 44 circuit is also configured asan integrating amplifier that combines the differential signals overtime. An op-amp feedback resistor 31 and an op-amp feedback capacitor 42conduct the integration and amplification of the signals. A stabilizingcapacitor 45 also helps in the integrating process performed by theoperational amplifier 44. The output of the amplifier 44 is supplied toan input/output pin4 114 of the microcontroller 51 whose internalprogram will count how long it takes until a logic high voltage level isreached. The resultant count is a measure of the current load beingapplied to the load cell 29. All resistors contained within the bridgecircuit 52 should have high tolerances to temperature fluctuations so atleast 1% precision metal-film resistors should be used. Themicrocontroller 51 can be any suitable low-power microcontroller such asMicrochip's PIC12C508A part.

A piezoelectric buzzer 34 is used as both a sounding device and avibration sensor. When used as a sounding device, there are actually twopurposes: (1) To notify the user of the current status of the system and(2) To help scare rodents away using either audio or ultrasonic signals.In both cases, an oscillatory signal is supplied to the buzzer 34 by themicrocontroller 51 via an input/output pin 1111. When the buzzer 34 isconfigured as a sensor, the input/output pin 1111 must be reconfigured,by the program running internally to the microcontroller 51, as a highimpedance output. In this case, the input/output pin1 111 is basicallydisconnected, signal-wise, from the rest of the circuit which isrequired when the buzzer 34 is to be used as a vibration sensor. Themechanical vibrations applied to the buzzer 34 are then converted to avoltage signal which is amplified by a vibration sensor NPN transistor39. A transistor biasing resistor 40 is used to keep the vibrationsensor NPN transistor's 39 sensitivity high while a transistor collectorresistor 35 helps amplify the signals. The vibration sensitive voltageamplified signal is then supplied to an input/output pin3 113 of themicrocontroller 51 which uses the signals to detect the presence ofrodents and/or birds. Lastly, a blocking capacitor 75 is used to preventactivity at the input/output pin1 111 from causing an accidentalinterrupt at the input/output pin3 113.

An input/output pin0 110 is used to activate an N-channel mosfet 38which, in turn, activates the motor/gearbox 11. A stabilization resistor41 keeps any spurious noise from activating the mosfet 38 and a back-emfprotection diode 37 protects the rest of the circuit from fastdeactivations of the motor/gearbox 11. A power level sense capacitor 32and a power level sense resistor 33 are both used by themicrocontroller, via an input/output pin2 112, for measuring the currentbattery voltage level. The results from this measurement are then usedto calculate the coefficients for the pulse-width modulation of themotor/gearbox 11. Also, these results are used to sound a certain numberof beeps from the buzzer 34 when the batteries need to be changed. Acapacitor filter 49 is used to help filer out any spurious noise and areverse-battery protection diode 50 is used to help protect the rest ofthe circuit in FIG. 4 from accidental reverse polarity placement of thebatteries 27.

FIG. 5 is an alternate schematic electronic diagram of the presentinvention that is very similar to the circuit in FIG. 4 except theanalog bridge circuit 52 in FIG. 4 is replaced with a force sensitiveresistor 120 and an integrating capacitor 122. The microcontroller 51discharges the integrating capacitor 122 via the input/output pin4 114by pulsing the pin towards ground potential 28. The microcontroller 51then reconfigures the input/output pin4 114 as an input and counts howlong it takes until it sees a logic high voltage level. The resultantcount is a function of the current value of the force sensitive resistor120. As with the load cell 29 used in FIG. 4, the location of the forcesensitive resistor 120 is crucial since it must be located as close aspossible to the maximum flexation point of the printed circuit board 8in FIG. 2. This point is located on the bottom side of the printedcircuit board 8 close to the small screw 10 in FIG. 2 at which the forcesensitive resistor 120 is bonded using a suitable cement. Alternately,the force sensitive resistor 120 could be manufactured right on theprinted circuit board 8 in FIG. 1 using resistive ink during the asilk-screening process.

Refer now to FIG. 6 that is a simplified algorithmic block diagram ofthe program that executes within the microcontroller 51 in FIG. 4 andFIG. 5. The algorithm starts after a power on step 56 is executed whichis after the power is turned-on by the switch 16 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Astarting step 55 is then executed which goes on to a power on statusstep 57. The power on status step 57 determines whether the power wasjust turned on or not. If the answer is yes, then a short beep step 60is executed next which notifies the user that the system is activated.An initialization step 61 is then executed that resets all internalvariables and conducts other miscellaneous functions. A go to sleep step73 is then executed which causes the microcontroller in FIG. 4 and FIG.5 to go into a very low-power mode of operation. During this mode, onlya watch-dog-timer or interrupt-went-off detection step 74 can make thealgorithm return to the starting step 55. A watch-dog-timer is utilizedto wake-up the algorithm after a predetermined amount of time has goneby. This conserves energy since power consumption is proportional to theamount of time that the system is not in the sleep mode 73. As a result,the longer the algorithm is asleep, the less power will be consumedaveraged over time. When the watch-dog-timer does finally arrive, thestarting step55 will then be executed. The watch-dog-timer orinterrupt-went-off detection step 74 also has an external interruptcapability configured to wake up on a pin voltage level change. Namely,if the voltage level of one or more of the sensor input pins in FIG. 4or FIG. 5 crosses over a logic threshold then the next step, thestarting step55, will be executed. The power on status step 57 is thenexecuted which determines whether the power was just turned on or not.In this case answer is no and the next step, a measurement step 62, isexecuted which computes the Mi count which is a function of the forcethat is currently being applied to the load cell 29 in FIG. 4 or theforce sensitive resistor 120 in FIG. 5. The next step, a feeder offstatus check 58, is then executed which determines whether or not aninternal feeder off flag variable (not shown) is set high or low. Theinternal feeder off flag is used to determine which step to executenext. If the flag is set high, a logic 1, then the next step, a greaterthan minimum threshold comparison step 59, is executed. This stepcompares the Mi value just measured to a factory-calibrated thresholdcalled T0 that is equivalent to a no-load condition of the hangingapparatus 1 in FIG. 1. In other words, this threshold is proportionalthe hanging apparatus's 1 own weight with no feeder 89 attached in FIG.1. If Mi is still less than T0 the algorithm goes back to sleep 73. IfMi is greater than or equal to T0 then the feeder 89 must have just beenplace back on the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1. In this case the nextstep, the short beep step 60 is executed next which notifies the userthat the system is still activated. The initialization step 61 is thenexecuted and finally the sleep step 73 is executed.

When the algorithm finally gets back to the feeder off status check 58step, it will now find the internal feeder off flag variable has beenreset by the previous initialization step 61. As a result, a maximumthreshold comparison step 63, is then executed which compares Mi to aninternally calibrated threshold called T2. This threshold, T2, helpsdetermines, whether on not, either the bottom squirrel 87 and/or the topsquirrel 83 has been detected in FIG. 1. If Mi is greater than T2 thenthe answer is yes and the next step, the fast revolutions-per-minutespeed R1 step, is executed which rotates the feeder 89 in FIG. 1 at afast enough speed to make the rodents 83 and/or 87 dizzy or fly off.After a predetermined amount of time has gone by, the rotation of thefeeder 89 in FIG. 1 is stopped and the sleep step 73 is then executed.However, if the answer to the maximum threshold comparison step 63 is nothen the next step, a between thresholds comparison step 65, is executedwhich determines whether birds 91 are on the feeder 89 in FIG. 1. IfMi's value is between both T1 and T2 thresholds then the answer to thebetween thresholds comparison step 65 is yes and the next step, a slowrevolutions-per-minute speed R2 step, is executed which rotates thefeeder 89 at a slow enough speed to not scare away the birds 91 in FIG.1. After a predetermined amount of time, the rotation of the feeder 89in FIG. 1 is stopped and the next step, sleep 73, is then executed. Ifthe answer to the between thresholds comparison step 65 is no than thenext step, a less than minimum threshold comparison step 67, is executedwhich determines whether or not the measured value Mi is less than orequal to the factory-calibrated T0 threshold value. If the answer tothis question is yes, the next step, a set feeder-off flag step 68, isexecuted which sets an internal feeder off flag to a logic high level.This step is executed whenever the feeder 89 has just been removed fromthe hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 for cleaning and/or refilling. Thenext step, sleep 73, is then executed. If the answer to the minimumthreshold comparison step 67 is no, the next step, a watch-dog-timergreater than N comparison step 69, is executed which compares thecurrent watch-dog-timer count WDT_cnt to a predetermined set value N. IfWDT_cnt is found to be greater than N then the next step, a calibrateall thresholds step 70, is then executed which calibrates the T1 and T2thresholds. A reset watch-dog-timer step 72 is then executed which setsWDT_cnt to zero. The system then powers down in the sleep step 73. Ifthe answer to the watch-dog-timer greater than N comparison step 69 isno then the next step, an increment watch-dog-timer step 71, is executedwhich simply increments the WDT_cnt variable. Finally the system goesback to sleep 73 in FIG. 6. Note that for this simplified algorithm inFIG. 6 to work properly, the T1 and T2 threshold variables must beinitialized to their maximum possible values in the initialization step61.

Refer now to FIG. 7, which illustrates a perspective view of analternative version of the present invention, shown mounted onto a pole78. A pole-mounted pest deterrent apparatus 2 is shown attached to thetop of the pole 78 whose other end is securely positioned into a typicalearth 79. The birdfeeder 89 is then mounted to the pole-mountedapparatus 2. When the bottom squirrel 87 is detected, the pole-mountedapparatus 2 will start to rotate the feeder 89 sufficiently fast R1 tomake the bottom squirrel 87 uncomfortable and want to jump off.Likewise, when the birds 91 are detected, the pole-mounted apparatus 2will start to rotate the feeder 89 at sufficiently slow speeds R2 tomake the birds 91 comfortable and not want to fly away. The mechanicsand electronics for the pole-mounted apparatus 2 would be very similarto the hanging apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1. Except now the hangingapparatus 1 from FIG. 1 is mounted upside down to the pole 78 in FIG. 7.Its top hook 4 in FIG. 1 would either be attached to or be replaced witha more suitable attachment for the pole 78 in FIG. 7. Likewise, thehanging apparatus 1 would have its bottom hook 17 in FIG. 1 eitherattached to or be replaced with a more suitable attachment for aturntable-like device (not shown). The feeder 89 would then be attachedto this turntable.

Refer now to FIG 8 that illustrates a perspective view of aremote-control version of the present invention. A birdwatcher 102 nowhas the added control of manually deciding what animals are allowed intheir birdfeeder 89 or birdhouse. To accomplish this, the circuits inFIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are modified to include certain transmitter/receivercircuits. As a result, when a rodent 87 and/or birds 91 now lands on thefeeder 89 in FIG. 8, a purality of non-directional radio frequencysignals 103 are transmitted over the airwaves to a remote 164 held bythe birdwatcher 102. The remote 164 would then process these radiofrequency signals 103 and announce, using a plurality of audio beeps100, to the birdwatcher 102 that something is on their feeder 89. Thebirdwatcher 102 then has the flexibility to decide if they want torotate the feeder at a fast variable speed R making the rodentuncomfortable and want to jump off. Or the birdwatcher 102 could decideto rotate the birdfeeder 89 at a slow variable speed R turning thebirdfeeder 89 until the birds 91 can be easily seen. In order toaccomplish these tasks, the remote 164 would send, with the press of abutton, a plurality of directional infrared signals 104 back to thehanging apparatus 1 in FIG 1 or the pole mounted apparatus 2 in FIG. 7.

Refer now to FIG. 9 that illustrates a simplified hardware block diagramof an alternative version of the present invention being remotelycontrolled. The circuits in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are modified to include atransmitter/receiver circuit 160. Consequently, a newtransmitter/receiver unit 150 is installed, in place of the printedcircuit board 8 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. This new circuit board would thenbe installed inside the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 or thepole-mounted apparatus 2 in FIG. 7 for the additional purpose oftransmitting and receiving signals over the airwaves. A person (notshown) holding a remote 164 would then receive a bi-directionaltransmission link 162 using infrared, ultrasonic, and/or radio frequencysignals from the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 or the pole mountedapparatus 2 in FIG. 7. The remote 164 would then process these signalsand announce, using either visual and/or audio cues, to the person thatsomething is on their feeder. The person then has the flexibility todecide if they want to rotate the feeder at a fast variable speed makingthe rodent uncomfortable and want to jump off. Or the person coulddecide to rotate the feeder at a slow speed turning the feeder until thebirds can be easily seen. Also, the person now has the flexibility toreprogram the transmitter/receiver unit 150 on the fly to, for example,not rotate automatically but wait until a signal is sent. Or thetransmitter/receiver unit 150 could be reprogrammed to automaticallyrotate the feeders but only for rodents and not for birds thusconserving crucial battery power. The remote 164 could sendnon-directional radio frequency signals or, since people would likely bepointing the remote at the feeder anyway, the remote 164 could useinfrared signals to transmit the bi-directional transmission link 162back to the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 or the pole mounted apparatus2 in FIG. 7.

The transmitter/receiver unit 150 is activated, as before, when birds 91or top squirrel 83 or bottom squirrel 87 approaches and/or touches theattached birdfeeder 89 or birdhouse as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7. Aload cell circuit 152 and a buzzer circuit 154 are similar to componentspreviously mentioned and used in the FIG 4 and FIG 5 circuits. Theoutput signals from these sensor circuits go to a receiver/transmittermicrocontroller 159 which is similar to the microcontroller 51 in FIG. 4and FIG. 5. However, additional algorithms now decide whether or not toactivate the transmitter/receiver circuit 160. If activated, thebi-directional transmission link 162 is sent over the airwaves to areceiver/transmitter circuit 184 contained within the remote 164 for thepurpose of notifying the bird watcher that there is something in theirbird feeder or bird house. A DIP switch 158 is used by encoding/decodingalgorithms inside the receiver/transmitter microcontroller 159 to encodea certain number of address bits into the bi-directional transmissionlink 162 through the transmitter/receiver circuit 160 similar to astandard garage door opener. The transmitter components used in thetransmitter/receiver circuit 160 can be single or multiple lightemitting diodes for an infrared mode of data transmission or anultrasonic transducer for an ultrasonic mode of data transmission. Orthe components can be a SAW-based transmitter module for a radiofrequency-type bi-directional transmission link 162. Likewise, thecomponents used at the receiving end of the bi-directional transmissionlink 162, the remote receiver/transmitter circuit 184, can be photodiodes to implement an infrared version of the bi-directionaltransmission link 162 or an ultrasonic transducer to implement anultrasonic version of the bi-directional transmission link 162. Or thecomponents can be a SAW-based receiver module for a radio frequency-typebi-directional transmission link 162. The TTL and/or CMOS compatibleoutput of the remote receiver/transmitter circuit 184 is then sent to aremote microcontroller chip 182 which runs firmware algorithms thatprocess the incoming signals. Chips from the Microchip PIC16C5X seriescan be utilized as suitable remote microcontroller 182 chips. A remoteDIP switch 180 is identical to the one in the transmitter/receiver unit150. The remote microcontroller chip 182 compares the addressinformation received from the bi-directional transmission link 162 withthe settings of the remote DIP switch 180. If there is a match in thedecoded address bits, several outputs from the remote microcontrollerchip 182 are then used to activate one or more devices. For example aremote buzzer 166 could be used to emit audio beeps or a purality oflight emitting diodes 168 and/or a liquid crystal display circuit 170could be used to produce visual cues to the user. Also, a serial portcircuit 174 could be used to interface with a desktop personal computer(not shown). All or these examples are for the main purpose of notifyingthe bird watcher that a rodent or a bird is in their bird feeder orbirdhouse. However, data from the serial port circuit 174 could also beused to activate other external devices such as cameras (not shown) forthe purpose of taking pictures of birds and/or rodents in a bird feeder,or birdhouse. In addition, multiple transmitter/receiver units 150attached to a multitude of bird feeders and/or bird houses can be usedwith a single remote 164 by virtue of unique address/data transmissioninformation encoded into each bi-directional transmission link 162 sentto the remote 164. Part of the address/data information can also beutilized to tell which bird feeder, or bird house, is activated byobserving the information presented to the bird watcher by the liquidcrystal display circuit 170.

After being notified by the remote 164, the bird watcher then has theoption to scare the rodents and/or unwanted birds away from their birdfeeder, or bird house, simply by activating a loud and annoying audioand/or ultrasonic buzzers contained in the buzzer circuit 154 in thetransmitter/receiver unit 150. The person could also decide to rotatethe feeder at a fast speed making any rodents uncomfortable and want tojump off. Or the person could decide to rotate the feeder at a slowspeed turning the feeder until the birds can be easily seen. The birdwatcher can accomplish any of these tasks simply by pushing variousbuttons on a keypad 172 whose output goes to the remote microcontrollerchip 182. The remote microcontroller chip 182 then interprets what theuser wants to accomplish and creates a special address/data word usingthe current settings of the remote DIP switch 180. The results of whichare then sent to the remote receiver/transmitter circuit 184 which, inturn, generates the bi-directional transmission link 162 back to thetransmitter/receiver circuit 160 in the transmitter/receiver unit 150.The transmitter components used in the remote receiver/transmittercircuit 184 can be light emitting diodes for infrared modes of datatransmission or an ultrasonic transducer for an ultrasonic modes of datatransmission. Or the components can be as complex as a SAW-basedtransmitter module for a radio frequency-type of bi-directionaltransmission link 162. However, the situation is now somewhat simplifiedif the user is standing by the window. Consequently, the transmissionlink can now be infrared since the bird watcher now points the remote164, much like a TV remote, at the bird feeder, or bird house, in orderto activate various mechanisms. The benefits of using infrared can beseen in the manufacturing costs. The transmitter/receiver circuit 160then strips digital data information out of the received carrier signaland sends the resultant TTL or CMOS compatible signal to thereceiver/transmitter microcontroller 159 chip. The receiver/transmittermicrocontroller 159 will then activate either the buzzer circuit 154,whose purpose is to scare away animals and/or a motor/gearbox 156 whosepurpose is twofold; (1) to rotate the attached hanging bird feeder, orbird house, very slow for the purpose of reaching a better viewingposition of the birds or (2) to rotate the attached hanging bird feeder,or bird house, at a variably fast speed for the purpose of repellingunwanted animals.

There are several versions of the previously discussed circuits andmechanical parts and configurations that were not disclosed. Forexample, a three-position switch could have been used in place of theswitch 16 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 to connect directly to themicrocontroller 51. The feature could then allow the user not have themotor/gearbox 11 be activated when birds 91 land on the feeder 89 inFIG. 1 or FIG. 7. The result of this will conserve valuable batterypower for the main purpose of deterring rodents from the feeders 89.Another example is to use 180 mercury tilt switches attached to theprinted circuit board 8 in FIG. 2 to detect when the hanging apparatus 1in FIG. 1 was being tilted in any direction. Another example is afrequency-varying ultrasonic speaker system that transmits ultrasonicnoise mainly in the rodent's hearing range and not in the bird's hearingrange. Another example is an extra motor that is physically boltedinternally to the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 and the pole-mountedapparatus 2 in FIG. 7 that has an offset-cam attached to its shaft thatis free to rotate. The cam would, when activated, emit mechanicalvibrations though out the invention itself and the feeders 89 shown inFIG. 1 and FIG. 7. The same example could also be configured having theoffset cam replace with a ball chain that would beat against the insidewall of the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 and the pole-mounted apparatus2 in FIG. 7. Another example is to use solar cells in place of thebatteries 27 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 which would be mounted to the outsideof the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 and the pole-mounted apparatus 2 inFIG. 7. This would eliminate the need for the chemical batteries 27shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Another example is to use an alternatingcurrent power source from any standard household outlet with the properrectifying circuitry added to the electronics inside the hangingapparatus 1 in FIG. 1 and the pole-mounted apparatus 2 in FIG. 7.Another example is to have the hanging apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 and thepole-mounted apparatus 2 in FIG. 7 both incorporated inside the feeder89 or house. Specifically, the avian enclosures would be manufacturedwith all of the necessary electronic and mechanical components containedinside the enclosure. Note that most of the above examples could haveincorporated some or all of the electronic and mechanical parts on thesame printed circuit board 8 shown in FIG. 2. In closing, for all ofthese examples, and the many others not mentioned, it shall be assumedthat these versions become obvious to anyone skilled in the art and whounderstands the embodiments of this document.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for attaching to an avian enclosure comprising:a housing; a motor coupled to said housing; at least one animal sensingmechanism that detects an animal and determines whether the animal is ofa first type or a second type; a controller contained within saidhousing and coupled to said motor, said controller in communication withsaid at least one animal sensing mechanism, said controller causing saidmotor to run at a first speed when said animal is of said first type,said controller causing said motor to run at a second speed when saidanimal is of said second type.
 2. An apparatus for attaching to an avianenclosure according to claim 1, further comprising a hook shaped shaftcoupling said motor to said avian enclosure such that said avianenclosure is suspended beneath said housing.
 3. An apparatus forattaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said avianenclosure is pole mounted, and said housing is positioned between saidavian enclosure and said pole.
 4. An apparatus for attaching to an avianenclosure according to claim 1, wherein said first speed is tolerable tosaid animal when said animal is of said first type, and wherein saidsecond speed is intolerable to said animal when said animal is of saidsecond type.
 5. An apparatus for attaching to an avian enclosureaccording to claim 1, wherein said at least one animal sensing mechanismdetects the presence of said animal prior to said animal contacting saidavian enclosure.
 6. An apparatus for attaching to an avian enclosureaccording to claim 1, wherein said motor rotates said avian enclosurefor at least one minute.
 7. An apparatus for attaching to an avianenclosure according to claim 1, wherein said at least one animal sensingmechanism comprises a vibration sensing mechanism.
 8. An apparatus forattaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said atleast one animal sensing mechanism comprises a load cell generallyaligned with a sensing axis and positioned within said housing proximateto a point of flexation.
 9. An apparatus for attaching to an avianenclosure according to claim 1, wherein said at least one animal sensingmechanism comprises a force sensitive resistor.
 10. An apparatus forattaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 1, wherein saidcontroller comprises a microcontroller.
 11. An apparatus for attachingto an avian enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said at least oneanimal sensing mechanism senses changes in weight applied to saidhousing.
 12. An apparatus for attaching to an avian enclosure accordingto claim 1, wherein said motor comprises a variable speed motor, andsaid controller further comprises a pulse width generator forselectively varying the rotational speed of said motor.
 13. An apparatusfor attaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 1, wherein saidat least one animal sensing mechanism comprises a sensor that detectsand measures static and differential loads applied thereto.
 14. Anapparatus for attaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 1,further comprising a sounding device coupled to said controller, saidsounding device controllable to emit at least one sound to repelunwanted animals from said avian enclosure.
 15. An apparatus forattaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 1, further comprisinga remote control device that communicates with said controller toselectively cause said motor to rotate at the first and second speeds.16. An apparatus for attaching to an avian enclosure according to claim15, wherein said remote control device further comprises a keypad thatactivates and controls the speed of said motor from a distance.
 17. Anapparatus for attaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 1,wherein the first type of animal comprises a bird and the second type ofanimal comprises a rodent.
 18. An apparatus for attaching to an avianenclosure according to claim 1, wherein the first type of animalcomprises a small bird and the second type of animal comprises a largebird.
 19. An apparatus for attaching to an avian enclosure according toclaim 15, wherein said remote control device further comprises a controlto activate a sounding device mounted within said housing andelectrically connected to said controller.
 20. An apparatus forattaching to an avian enclosure comprising: a housing coupled to saidavian enclosure; a motor arranged to rotate said avian enclosure; acontroller contained within said housing and coupled to said motor; aload cell coupled to said controller, said load cell generally alignedwith a sensing axis and positioned within said housing proximate to apoint of flexation, wherein said controller causes said motor to rotatesaid avian enclosure when said load cell detects the presence of ananimal, said motor rotating said avian enclosure at a first speed whensaid animal is of a first type, and said motor rotating said avianenclosure at a second speed when said animal is of a second type.
 21. Anapparatus for attaching to an avian enclosure according to claim 20,wherein the second type of animal weighs more than the first type ofanimal, the load cell distinguishing between the first type and thesecond type according to sensed weight.
 22. An avian enclosurecomprising: an avian structure; a motor coupled to said avian structure;at least one animal sensing mechanism that detects an animal anddetermines whether the animal is of a first type or a second type; acontroller contained within said avian structure and coupled to saidmotor, said controller in communication with said at least one animalsensing mechanism, said controller causing said motor to rotate saidavian structure at a first speed when said animal is of said first type,said controller causing said motor to rotate said avian structure at asecond speed when said animal is of said second type.
 23. An avianenclosure according to claim 22, wherein said first speed is tolerableto said animal when said animal is of said first type, and wherein saidsecond speed is intolerable to said animal when said animal is of saidsecond type.
 24. An avian enclosure according to claim 22, wherein saidat least one animal sensing mechanism detects the presence of saidanimal prior to said animal contacting said avian structure.
 25. Anavian enclosure according to claim 22, wherein said motor rotates saidavian structure for at least one minute.
 26. An avian enclosureaccording to claim 22, wherein said at least one animal sensingmechanism comprises a vibration sensing mechanism.
 27. An avianenclosure according to claim 22, wherein said at least one animalsensing mechanism comprises a load cell generally aligned with a sensingaxis and positioned within said housing proximate to a point offlexation.
 28. An avian enclosure according to claim 22, wherein said atleast one animal sensing mechanism comprises a force sensitive resistor.29. An avian enclosure according to claim 22, wherein said controllercomprises a microcontroller.
 30. An avian enclosure according to claim22, wherein said at least one animal sensing mechanism senses changes inweight applied to said avian structure.
 31. An avian enclosure accordingto claim 22, wherein said motor comprises a variable speed motor, andsaid controller further comprises a pulse width generator forselectively varying the rotational speed of said motor.
 32. An avianenclosure according to claim 22, wherein said at least one animalsensing mechanism comprises a sensor that detects and measures staticand differential loads applied thereto.
 33. An avian enclosure accordingto claim 22, further comprising a sounding device coupled to saidcontroller, said sounding device controllable to emit at least one soundto repel unwanted animals from said avian enclosure.
 34. An avianenclosure according to claim 22, further comprising a remote controldevice that communicates with said controller to selectively cause saidmotor to rotate at the first and second speeds.
 35. An avian enclosureaccording to claim 34, wherein said remote control device furthercomprises a keypad that activates and controls the speed of said motorfrom a distance.
 36. An avian enclosure according to claim 34, whereinsaid remote control device further comprises a control to activate asounding device mounted within said housing and electrically connectedto said controller.
 37. An avian enclosure according to claim 33,wherein the first type of animal comprises a bird and the second type ofanimal comprises a rodent.
 38. An avian enclosure according to claim 22,wherein the first type of animal comprises a small bird and the secondtype of animal comprises a large bird.
 39. An avian enclosurecomprising: an avian structure; a motor arranged to rotate said avianstructure; a controller contained within said avian structure andcoupled to said motor; a load cell coupled to said controller, said loadcell generally aligned with a sensing axis and positioned within saidhousing proximate to a point of flexation, wherein said controllercauses said motor to rotate said avian structure when said load celldetects the presence of an animal, said motor rotating said avianstructure at a first speed when said animal is of a first type, and saidmotor rotating said avian structure at a second speed when said animalis of a second type.
 40. An avian enclosure according to claim 39,wherein the second type of animal weighs more than the first type ofanimal, the load cell distinguishing between the first type and thesecond type according to sensed weight.
 41. A combination apparatus andavian enclosure comprising: the avian enclosure; an apparatus coupled tothe avian enclosure in a manner that allows the apparatus to rotate theavian enclosure with respect to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:a housing; a motor coupled to said housing, the motor having a shaftcoupled to the avian enclosure, the rotation of the shaft causingrotation of the avian enclosure; at least one animal sensing mechanismthat detects an animal and determines whether the animal is of a firsttype or a second type; and a controller contained within said housingand coupled to said motor, said controller in communication with said atleast one animal sensing mechanism, said controller causing said motorto rotate said avian enclosure at a first speed when said animal is ofsaid first type, said controller causing said motor to rotate aid avianenclosure at a second speed when said animal is of said second type.